The field of art to which this invention pertains is the hydrocracking of a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form polynuclear aromatic compounds without excessively fouling the processing unit. More specifically, the invention relates to a catalytic hydrocracking process which comprises (a) introducing a reduced crude into a fractionation zone to produce a vacuum gas oil stream having a propensity to form polynuclear aromatic compounds in a hydrocracking zone and a slop wax stream; (b) contacting the vacuum gas oil stream in a hydrocracking zone with added hydrogen and a metal promoted hydrocracking catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to gain a substantial conversion to lower boiling products; (c) partially condensing the hydrocarbon effluent from the hydrocracking zone and separating the same into a low boiling hydrocarbon product stream and an unconverted hydrocarbon stream boiling above about 650.degree. F. (343.degree. C.) and containing trace quantities of polynuclear aromatic compounds; and (d) introducing at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream containing polynuclear aromatic compounds into the fractionation zone thereby recovering a substantial portion of th&lt;polynuclear aromatic compounds in the slop wax stream which significantly minimizes the introduction of the polyruclear aromatic compounds into the hydrocracking zone.